


apprehension and a little bit of laughter

by saetan



Series: so c'mon over here and fall in love with me [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Attempt at Humor, Banter, Crush at First Sight, Cutesy, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Matchmaking, Meet-Cute, Teasing, i rated this G but there's a fair bit of swearing, if you miss ur friends this one's for u, lots of p&t&r just being the dynamic they are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:15:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26466292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saetan/pseuds/saetan
Summary: Tony’s pushing thirty and Pepper and Rhodey dare him to go talk to the handsome stranger at the coffee shop. Tony seriously hates his friends.
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark
Series: so c'mon over here and fall in love with me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924003
Comments: 18
Kudos: 125





	apprehension and a little bit of laughter

**Author's Note:**

> wellll this was entirely self-indulgent. but writing it was a total delight! a much needed change after [to burn memories](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26423512), i feel.

“ _Go,”_ Pepper whispers.

“Okay, wait, can someone explain to me _why_ we’re doing this? You realize I said I’m pushing _thirty_ and single, right? Not _thirteen–”_

“God _shut your mouth_ , Tony,” and this time it’s Rhodey speaking and Tony looks at him feeling a _little_ betrayed, “Go and talk to him. You were literally staring right at him _as_ you complained about how single you are and–”

“No, you know what? You’re all a bunch of hypocrites. Pepper, you’re my age, and guess what? _You’re single, too_. Do I ever push you to talk to some guy you thought was hot? N–”

“Uhhh, yes? Santa Monica?”

“Okay, _no,_ that. That doesn’t count.”

“Hm. Well, then there was Rio, Vancouver, Tokyo, oh, and don’t forget _Saint Petersburg_ _._ That guy didn’t even speak English!”

“Well you speak a little bit of _Russian–”_

It’s Rhodey who cuts him off then, “ _And_ remember when you literally pushed me into that woman in Singapore? And that other time, we had a _forty-five minute layover_ in Dubai and you _gave_ that lady my number?”

And Tony seriously does _not_ get where all this is coming from and it’s totally unappreciated because he is _the_ _most_ loyal friend no matter what anyone says. He should’ve gone for lunch with Coulson, or Romanoff. Or Barton. Or Hill. _Anyone_ else because these two are being ungrateful and _annoying._ And hold the fuck _up_ –

“Wait a second. Rhodey, that one in Dubai _totally worked out–”_

“No–”

“ _Stop_ cutting me off, _yes–”_

 _“_ Nope–”

“Okay, then show me your last text, c’mon. Pull it out. Show it to us. That’s right, you _heathen_. You’re a fuckin’ liar,”

He leans back with a smug grin because he _won_ this conversation and then suddenly Pepper’s face lights up and he already starts scrambling for more excuses to throw right back in her face.

“Well then there you have it!” she practically _screams_ as she points a finger into his chest, “See? Evidence this method works! Now you _have_ to go. You have to you have to you have to,”

And with every “have to” she pokes him incessantly like a little kid and oh my _god_ what did he _do to deserve this._ He almost considers just _doing it_ until he looks up and sees that guy’s friends looking at them and _oh my god they’re making a racket_.

So he tries pushing her hand off but she just keeps dodging him. He huffs, and the memory of the friends looking over is so raw in his head that the panic builds up in his chest out of nowhere, and suddenly he’s slapping her hand off and whisper-screaming, “ _Shut up._ His friends just looked over oh my god. Shit. Fuck. I’m never showing my face out in public again. You are the bane of my existence.”

Then Pepper _turns around to look at them_ and Tony’s head is screaming _can you be more obvious_ and he digs his eyes into the balls of his hands because he absolutely _cannot_ take this. God. 

She turns back, “They’re not looking. Besides, there’s a lot of people here, they wouldn’t be able to hear us,” and then she smiles sweetly at him and pokes him one more time, “ _Go.”_

“You’re being an actual child right now, Pepper,” and Tony _sees_ Rhodey roll his eyes at him through his peripherals so he whips his head around to look at him too, “Y’know what, _this is why I’m single_. Your awful behaviour just reminded me of how much I don’t want kids! That’s why I’m–”

“That is such _bullshit–”_

“I said _stop cutting me off_ , Rhodey, and no it is _not._ I’ve never wanted kids–”

“Yeah, ‘cause that’s why you’ve basically _adopted_ that Peter kid _and_ that other genius kid, Shuri, who are, might I remind you, your _interns!”_

“I did _not–_ ”

Now it’s Pepper, “God, _shut up,_ Tony! You want kids. You want a hot husband. You totally _don't_ want to be single. _And_ your favorite matchmaking method has proven successful. Get up. And _go_.”

Tony kind of has nothing to say to that so he actually shuts up for a bit. He hates his friends. So much. 

He looks back up at the dude as he contemplates how exactly he might approach him. He’s talking to his friends, and taking bites out of his scone, and rolling his eyes, and _god dammit he’s cute._ He has black hair and porcelain skin, and he looks _lean_ and, even from way over here, Tony can see the hollows of his cheekbones. And Tony also kind of really likes how he swallows his food before talking again, and how he _maintains eye contact_ with the people he talks to, and why the hell does he get to look so _suave_ doing the most mundane things?

Tony hears a camera click and he whips his head around _again_ to look at Rhodey (holy shit, he might sprain his neck or something if he does that a third time) and, there it is, Rhodey’s phone, right in his face.

“What the fuck was that? _Why_ did you just take a picture of me?”

Rhodey’s chuckling and so is Pepper and Tony literally, actually hates his friends. He’s definitely, definitely calling up Banner later today to make some plans.

Rhodey shrugs, “Just thought I’d capture your face looking all _fond_ and soft as you drooled over Mr. Hot over there,”

 _What._ “Rhodey. Delete that.”

“No.”

“ _Yes_.”

“No.”

“Ye–”

“ _Why?_ It’s nothing serious. It’s just your damn face and, trust me, I would happily delete your face from my gallery in any other situation but holy shit, Tony, it’s funny and it’s chill and we’re gonna laugh about this a few weeks down the line, okay?”

And. Fine. Tony can’t argue with that either. 

When Tony looks back up to have another peek at the dude, _he’s not there._ His stomach sort of plummets at that because – and he’ll _never_ admit this to Rhodey or Pepper – now he does regret not getting up there and trying to talk to him because he’s just missed his chance to do it ever again. 

Except, suddenly, Tony notices that he’s not there anymore because he’s walking - _oh shit, he’s tall_ \- over to the counter to probably make another order. Tony internally breathes out a sigh of relief. 

Uhh. The guy just walked past the counter. Shit, he _is_ leaving–Um, nope, he walked past the door and _is he making his way over here?_

Tony swears he almost shits himself when their eyes meet and he probably reacted in some way because Pepper and Rhodey look at him and he briefly registers them asking if he’s okay and _no he’s not_ because that dude is _coming over here._

And then he walks past their table. 

_Oh_ , he was heading to the bins at the back to throw away his things. Right. His brain catches up to him and _right_ , the dude _did_ have some crumpled wrapping paper in his hands. Tony _heaves_ out a sigh and he doesn’t really know if it’s one of relief or disappointment but it feels really good anyway. 

He (gently) slams his forehead against the table, “God. Thank God. I thought he was making his way over here because he heard you guys or something. Ugh, I could seriously use a Tylenol right about now for all the strokes you’ve caused me in the last five minutes.”

Rhodey and Pepper are snickering, but they’re still good friends so they pat his shoulder and back in an attempt to comfort him and, right, _that’s_ why he’s kept them around despite all the years of torture.

But then their comforts stop. 

Tony’s lifting his head up to ask them _why, keep going,_ when he hears a sigh to his right, and suddenly _the guy_ is here again but he’s just standing with his back to Tony.

Then he turns around.

He has a hand in his pocket and he’s leaning on his left leg. He’s looking straight at Tony and Tony’s looking straight at him and everything is just _quiet_.

Tony’s just about to say something when–

“So,” he says, and Tony _already_ likes his voice, “I’d like to preface this by saying I have the worst friends, and you’re probably taken, or not interested, _but._ I…Well, I was wondering if…”

“Are you asking me out right now?” Tony’s heart is pounding a million miles a minute and he can’t even _process_ what is going on because what even are the _odds_ of this happening _._

The guy’s face looks shocked and his lips twitch like he doesn’t really know what the right answer is. Like he's already second-guessing his judgement.

And Tony’s not an idiot, and he’s not cruel either, so he huffs out a laugh, “Because if you _are,_ I’m absolutely about to say yes right now,”

“You _are?”_

“ _Are_ you?”

“I am.”

“Then, _yes.”_

And then they're both laughing and Tony feels so _elated_ he could fly right now. Pepper and Rhodey are just looking back and forth and then at each other in complete and utter shock but Tony can’t seem to take his eyes off the smiling face in front of him.

“Loki,” he says then, “Loki Laufeyson.”

“Loki,” Tony repeats, “I’m Tony.”

The guy – Loki – smiles a half-smile, “Well. I am thrilled you said yes, Tony, I look forward to it.”

And then he’s about to walk away and Tony kind of doesn’t _think_ and he stands to (gently) grab Loki’s arm. He stops in his spot again and looks at Tony with a question in his eyes.

“We, uh, we didn’t trade contacts,”

“Shit. Right,” he looks a little embarrassed and the hand in his pocket scrambles around for a bit and then he’s pulling out _that crumpled piece of wrapping paper_ and handing it over to Tony.

“So you _were_ walking over to me that first time!” Tony says and then instantly regrets it because _why_ is he already trying to ruin this thing that hasn’t even started yet?

Loki stammers, the tips of his ears going a little red, before he shoves the piece of paper into Tony’s hand. The contact makes Tony fumble a little.

Loki regains his composure and smirks, hand still in Tony’s, “Well, at least _I_ didn’t spend the last ten minutes convincing my friends I wouldn’t ask you out,”

Pepper and Rhodey choke on their drinks, and Tony _groans_ but he also somehow laughs because that means Loki’s introduction was partially an _act_ to make Tony feel better about all this and that is just _sweet_ , and hilarious, and sorta perfect. 

He meets Loki’s eyes with a little shrug, and Loki’s smiling too, and Tony can’t help but think to himself that maybe, _just_ _maybe_ , this might be the start of something beautiful.

His friends were still the worst though.

**Author's Note:**

> pls leave a comment, anything you'd like. <3
> 
> find me [here](https://rambeaus.tumblr.com/) ⍣


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